Diary of Anna the Girl Witch by Max Candee

Anna Sophia doesn’t know much about herself. Not what happened to her parents. Not why she was found living with wild bears in Siberia, and certainly not why an eccentric, rich couple in Switzerland is trying so hard to adopt her.

She has always known she was different. She didn’t know just how different until her 13th birthday, when she discovered her supernatural powers, both delightful and a little frightening. She also learned that these powers make a dark cloud grow inside her soul, bit by tiny bit.

And now she’s in danger. Her friends, too. It’s so tempting to use her magic to save them all, but would she sacrifice her soul for that? She just doesn’t know.

Anna Sophia can ignite things. She can fly in a bucket and stop time. And she has some serious choices to make.

When I was a little girl I loved everything fantasy/adventure and when it came to a strong child leading the way I was all for it. I know if I had read this book when I was little I would have adored it.

Anna Sophia was found in a Bear den when she was an infant and taken in by a man she calls Uncle Misha. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he has to place her in an orphanage. A local husband and wife, Andre and Marie, have taken several orphans in the past and given them what appears to be a loving home. Yet, something doesn’t settle well with Anna Sophia and soon she discovers vast many things about not only herself but a family that many are so quick to adore.

This book plunges us into the life of an orphanage, about the struggles of a little girl trying to hold onto her worth when she knows nothing about her heritage. She discovers she is, in fact, a witch and it is something she has in common with her mother. A tale of good and evil, how it tempts us and how sometimes even when doing the wrong thing may end up being a good thing, it is still ultimately wrong. A very strong moral to the story. Plus the pictures every so often helped to depict scenes all the better for a young mind, I’d think!

While it is aimed towards a younger crowd 10-12, it is a darker book effectively showing the dark side as a tangible force. It handles this well but as the story goes on it becomes increasingly darker as its clear it is a struggle.